Active Time

　　45 min

　　Total Time

　　1 3/4 hr

　　A savory soup with ginger, saffron, and curry.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 8 (first course) servings

　　2 tablespoons canola oil

　　1 small onion, chopped

　　1 celery rib, chopped

　　1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped

　　Shrimp shells from 2 pounds shrimp (reserve shrimp for another use)

　　1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice

　　1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and chopped

　　1 large pinch saffron threads, crumbled

　　1/4 teaspoon curry powder

　　1/2 California bay leaf or 1 Turkish

　　2 quart chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

　　1 (8-ounce) Yukon Gold potato

　　1 small celery root (celeriac)

　　1 tablespoon unsalted butter

　　1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat

　　

Step 1

Heat oil in a wide 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook onion, celery, and fennel, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells turn pink. Stir in tomatoes with their juice. Simmer, breaking up tomatoes slightly with a wooden spoon, 3 minutes, then add ginger, saffron, curry powder, and bay leaf and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and boil uncovered 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 45 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Discard bay leaf, then purée soup (including shrimp shells) in batches in a blender until finely ground, about 2 minutes per batch (use caution when blending hot liquids). Strain soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discarding solids.

　　

Step 3

Peel and dice potato. Peel and dice enough celery root to measure 1/2 cup. Add potato and celery root to soup and gently simmer uncovered until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and crabmeat. Season with salt and pepper.